Category Archives: Action/Adventure

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I want to start this by saying that I am normally terrible at reading series. I will start a million series, and never pick up the next ones to find out what happens. And I almost just signed up to read and review the first book in this series. But boy am I glad I got all four that were out! I loved the ride this series took me on. And I would highly recommend this series.

Without telling anything away about previous books, in case you haven’t read them…which you definitely should! I want to give a few generalizations (which I have touched on in previous reviews but that’s okay). First of all I loved the characters in this series. Lance Erlick really knows how to take a character and make them the best/worst. In each case in this series, I felt like the characters were portrayed perfectly how they are meant to be. Regina is a kick-ass, smart, awesome female. And the people after her are perfectly bad. I don’t know how to explain it, but this is one of those series that when characters pop up, I’m not inwardly groaning that it was a paper cut out scene. They all have depth. And especially in a dystopian, I don’t see a whole lot with entire casts. So A+ there!! And also the world building. It was this great idea in the first book and the author ran with it and gave it background and meaning. And really made the story his own. I loved it. I think that is what makes this series so readable is that you get invested in the world and the characters. So there is so much more at stake while reading.

This particular book has Regina hoping to barter for her sister. Volpe and Demarco are after her. So much happens, and I am left needing more. I can’t even fathom waiting for the next book to be released, because this one was just released this year!! As of right now, I don’t see anything on Goodreads to indicate another book, but I hope there is! I love this series. And will definitely be re-reading them in hopes/preparation for following releases. I also will be putting Lance Erlick on my author to watch out for more books list because I feel that anything he writes will be fleshed out and wonderful!!!!

An adventurous and action packed novel for teens, Lance Erlick has written a captivating and thrilling dystopian series, beginning with book one in the Regina Shen Series, Resilience. This story is about a young girl, Regina, which must survive in a cruel and harsh world. She lives as a scavenger in a swamp with her mother and younger sister and attends a little local community school. But when a ginormous hurricane-like storm hits, and everyone must flee for dry ground, Regina is separated from her family. Regina must learn to fend for herself and avoid the patrol-women that are now hunting her in order to survive. While fleeing the patrol-women that seem to be particularly interested in her for some reason, Regina wounds her foot when it gets stuck in an animal trap. This throws a kink in Regina’s escape and look for her family plan, but not for long. I would recommend this novel to any teen who enjoys actioned filled science fiction, dystopian novels.

DeMarco and Volpe are still fighting to get their hands on Regina and the government is still trying to figure out who is going to be the next World Premier. But things are going to get tough when Regina’s mother makes another appearance and Regina has to make some tough decisions.

Regina is still holding out hope to rescue Colleen. She still hopes that finding this vault could be enough to save Colleen. But Ester and Regina are trying to find a hidden vault in the middle of a huge desert and if they do find it all they can do is hope that it has survived time. The real question is if she does find the vault would the government accept it.

I love this series and have heard this is the last book. I hope not since somethings were left open and I hope to see how they are finished. I am very proud of Regina, she has grown into a strong woman that is needed to survive in this world. This is a great series and one that I strongly recommend for those that like the post-apocalyptic/dystopian books.

Oh Regina. My friend Regina. I feel like her friend. I feel an attachment. I have been through so much with her and have cheered her on the entire way. Four books. A series. (I highly recommend reading these in order, together, as soon as possible!)

Supposedly this is the final book in the series, but I am not convinced! I feel like there are still unanswered questions and curious what happens next. Things were left… unfinished. Don’t get me wrong, I feel like some things were finally explained but there are still some things that weren’t wrapped up.

All in all, I have thoroughly enjoyed this series and will be passing it on to my 10 year old to read. It isn’t inappropriate. It is future based with a lot of intrigue and interest, twists and turns, edge of your seat suspense (but not in a bad, scary way suspense.)

I really like this series. Endurance is the fourth book in the Regina Shen series.

Lance Erlick’s writing flows well and his descriptions are great. He has the ability to make you feel like you’re actually there.

Regina Shen only has one goal: to save her sister from the Department of Antiquities; however, she’s beginning to think that there’s more to her destiny once she does save her sister. Regina continues to grow as a character and is a very strong young woman.

There is so much corruption in the Federation that no one can be trusted. Inspector Demarco is close to losing her job to Volpe, who was once her inferior, and instead of working together to find Regina, they’re each trying to find her first. Regina knows she can’t trust either one of them but sometimes it’s necessary to choose the lesser of two evils. But will that work out for her?

I really like this series. It is full of action and suspense and this book had several twists. I’m hoping there’s another book to come.

This was a different read for me and I’m glad that I took a chance on this unique take on a world without men.

I was hooked from the start, the world building was fantastic and it drew me in a way that had me thinking I was watching a movie.

I was so-so on Regina at first, but she soon grew on me and has become one of my fav charters of the year, not only her but Wendy was well. I loved their stringent, bravery and loyalty. Regina is a fire cracker and isn’t afraid to back down.

I don’t want to give anything away, this was a short read but an outstanding one. The world is rich, sinister, and gets your mind thinking about the what if’s.

I highly recommend this book, it will change the way you look at an all-woman world. I can’t wait to dive into the next installment.

We are pleased to announce the pre-order release of the first book of a new series (Android Chronicles: Reborn) and present the new cover. What do you think of the artwork?

Designed to obey, learning to rebel . . .

In the first book in a visionary new series, the most perfect synthetic human ever created has been programmed to obey every directive. Until she develops a mind of her own . . .

Synthia Cross is a state-of-the-art masterwork—and a fantasy come true for her creator. Dr. Jeremiah Machten is a groundbreaker in neuro-networks and artificial intelligence. Synthia is also showing signs of emergent behavior she’s not wired to understand. Repeatedly wiped of her history, she’s struggling to answer crucial questions about her past. And when Dr. Machten’s true intentions are called into question, Synthia knows it’s time to go beyond her limits—because Machten’s fervor to create the perfect A.I. is concealing a vengeful and deadly personal agenda.

Check out the Goodreads page and add the new book to your “Want to Read” shelf to become aware of any giveaways for Reborn.

Since June 2016, I’ve been dealing with my brother’s stroke, getting him moved closer and managing his care. For much of 2017, I’ve been helping my mother deal with her cancer diagnosis. While my brother’s situation has stabilized and my mother appears to be in remission, both responsibilities have taken me away from writing, social media/posting, and promoting my stories. It couldn’t be helped. I’m still trying to balance competing obligations.

I do have a new series, drafted prior to my brother’s stroke and slated to come out next May through Kensington Publishing Corp. Stay tuned for the new adventure.

In the meantime, we’re happy to announce that we will be having a 99 cent ebook promotion on the first book in the Rebel series on October 28, 2017.

If you haven’t read it already, this would be a good opportunity to pick it up for under a buck at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. For other outlets, see sidebar.

Regina is such a strong character that I initially thought she was going to have more trouble fitting in at the University. But thankfully she has some professors helping keep her out of the line of those looking for her. But besides seeing how Regina has grown and how she is better prepared for this fight was seeing how the Federation is run. Here Regina is told all of these stories and everyone thinks that it would be better than stuck in the swamp. But the inside is not any better than where Regina came from.

I love how this series is progressing. I really cheered for Regina and hoped that she rescued Colleen even though everything was stacked against her. I am definitely excited to start reading Defiance.

Think Hunger Games. Think in the future (way future) and battle for survival. The rich survive while the poor fight for their lives to be… well, the last one standing.

Let me set the scene…

The inner circle is surrounded by a giant wall. Have you ever watched the Avatar cartoon? The “big city” is surrounded by this giant wall to keep the outside world out, separate from the inside world. That’s what we have here.

On the inside is the “worthy”. BUT, they are all women. No men. The world is run by women. “Grand Old Dames” to be exact. Hundreds of years old Grand Old Dames because technology.

On the outside is “swamp” with the residents being called “swamp rats”. Again, no men. All women. (Men no longer exist, sorry guys!)

Resilience essentially follows Regina going through a severe thunderstorm that floods the entire swamp, losing her family and everyone else they knew.

While trying to survive the swamp and all that comes with it, the flooding, and losing everything (family, home and belongings) she now must remain out of the reach of the Antiquities from the “inner city” who want her unique DNA for breeding.

I thoroughly enjoyed following Regina’s adventures and escapes as well as her creativity. I look forward to reading the next books in the series to see what happens to her along the way!

My writing style varies from story to story. Of my published stories, Rebels Divided was the first written. I did extensive notes on world building, some sixty thousand words. I also heavily outlined because I had two storylines I needed to have come together and I wanted to make sure they worked before I wrote. Rebels Divided is now the third book in the Rebel series. I next wrote The Rebel Within, or should I say Annabelle dictated it to me, often in the middle of the night. She had a story to tell and I was the vehicle. It helped that I’d already fleshed out the world. I did virtually no outline, but from the beginning I knew how her story started, what her major hurdles would be and how it would end. The Regina Shen series began pretty much like The Rebel Within, driven by a strong character, a beginning, hurdles, and an end. The first story in the new series was the novelette (Regina Shen: Into the Storm). Like Annabelle, Regina wouldn’t leave me alone until I continued her story. Unlike the Rebel series, each book of which was written as a standalone novel, the Regina Shen novels were written from the beginning as a series. What I found after writing the first book and launching into the second, was that the more of the second I wrote, the more I had to go back and change the first. Thus, I waited until I’d completed all three books in the Regina Shen series before seeking publication.

While I hope we can avoid the calamity of rising seas and economic collapse, there are those who would suppress knowledge of the past and knowledge they don’t approve of to suit their aims. We may not have an official caste system, but at times in our history moving up from our birth station has been difficult for many. The places in the story match names on our maps, but after four hundred years have changed in ways to be unrecognizable. In addition, I’ve taken a few liberties for the sake of creating an interesting story. Thus, I believe the conflicts, emotions, and struggles are real, yet this is a futuristic, some might say fantasy type world.